The increasing use of avionics and electrically powered subsystems onboard commercial and military aircraft requires improved thermal management of the heat loads produced by these electrical components. Current solutions to the problem of thermal management may be achieved at the expense of higher costs, possible reduction of overall component performance, decreased efficiency and/or increased weight. Effective management of thermal loads is made more difficult by the trend toward the use of outer skins formed from non-metallic materials in order to reduce weight. Commonly used structural composites typically have poor thermal conductivity, compared to metal skins. In the case of certain military aircraft, the need to maintain exterior surfaces smooth with a minimum number of penetrations to achieve radio frequency stealth may further reduce the design options for managing thermal loads.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved cooling system for controlling heat loads generated by electrical components onboard aerospace vehicles. The illustrated embodiments of the disclosure are intended to satisfy this need.